Robert John Odenkirk was born in Berwyn, Illinois, to Barbara (Baier) and Walter Odenkirk, a printing professional, with German and Irish ancestry. He was the second of seven children and grew up in Naperville, Illinois. Odenkirk worked as a DJ for his college radio station at Southern Illinois University Carbondale before moving to Chicago.
In Chicago, he participated in local improv workshops and performed open-mic stand-up comedy for several years. It was during this time that he befriended Robert Smigel, who would later help him become a writer for Saturday Night Live.
In 1987, Odenkirk was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live and went on to win an Emmy for his writing work. He worked on the show from season 13 to 20, but struggled to get his work on the air, leading him to take on writing duties for Get a Life and The Dennis Miller Show.
Odenkirk made his acting debut on The Dennis Miller Show and was noticed by Ben Stiller, who hired him as a writer and actor for The Ben Stiller Show. Although the show was short-lived, Odenkirk won another Emmy for his writing.
After The Ben Stiller Show was canceled, Odenkirk made recurring appearances on The Larry Sanders Show and wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He also teamed up with fellow Ben Stiller Show writer David Cross, with whom he started doing sketch-comedy shows in Los Angeles.
In 1995, Odenkirk and Cross got their own show on HBO, Mr. Show with Bob and David, which ran for four seasons and 30 episodes. After the show ended, Odenkirk wrote and directed several feature films, including Run Ronnie Run, Melvin Goes to Dinner, Let's Go to Prison, and The Brothers Solomon.
He also made numerous guest appearances on TV shows, including Just Shoot Me!, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ed, Everybody Loves Raymond, Less Than Perfect, Arrested Development, How I Met Your Mother, and Weeds.
From 2009 to 2013, Odenkirk played the recurring role of Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad, and starting in 2015, he reprised that role as the main character in Better Call Saul.
